CN215739034U

CN215739034U - Cooling device and CT equipment

Info

Publication number: CN215739034U
Application number: CN202121918282.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 聂西鹏; 刘灿彬; 周奇
Original assignee: Siemens X Ray Vacuum Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Siemens X Ray Vacuum Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-16
Filing date: 2021-08-16
Publication date: 2022-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 2031-08-16

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cooling device and a CT apparatus, the cooling device is configured to be mounted on a rotating portion of a CT gantry for providing heat dissipation to an X-ray source mounted on the CT gantry, the cooling device includes: a base configured to be fixed to a surface on which the X-ray source is located; and the radiating fin unit comprises a plurality of first radiating fins which are vertically arranged on the base respectively, an air duct for guiding the first air flow to conduct is formed between the adjacent first radiating fins, and a first opening part which is expanded outwards is formed at least one end part between the adjacent first radiating fins so as to guide the first air flow to enter the air duct. The cooling device can utilize airflow generated by rotation of the CT frame, the generated airflow is fully subjected to heat exchange with the radiating fin unit at the maximum efficiency, and the radiating fin unit is used for providing heat radiation for a cooling oil way of the circulating oil pump, so that the original fan and control parts thereof are reduced, the occupied space of the cooling device and extra noise introduced by the fan are reduced, and the user experience is improved.

Description

Cooling device and CT equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to a cooling device for providing heat dissipation for an X-ray source arranged on a CT (computed tomography) frame.

Background

The X-ray source includes an X-ray tube, which is a vacuum tube that converts a power input into X-rays. The availability of controllable sources of X-rays led to the birth of a radiological imaging technique, a technique that images partially opaque objects by penetrating radiation. Unlike other sources of ionizing radiation, X-rays are only generated when the X-ray tube is energized. X-ray tubes are widely used in the fields of Computed Tomography (CT) apparatuses, X-ray diffraction apparatuses, X-ray medical imaging apparatuses, and industrial inspection.

A vacuum tube used in an X-ray tube includes a cathode filament for emitting electrons to a vacuum, and an anode for receiving the emitted electrons, thereby forming a stream of electrons called a beam in the X-ray tube. A high voltage power supply, referred to as the tube voltage, is typically provided between the anode and cathode, typically between 30 and 200kV, to accelerate the electrons.

In a Computed Tomography (CT) apparatus having an X-ray tube, during operation, a cathode electron beam generated by a cathode is accelerated to impinge upon a rotating anode target disk to generate X-rays. However, during X-ray generation, only about 1% of the energy is converted into X-rays, while the remaining large amount of energy is converted into thermal energy that is dissipated at the anode. Therefore, the temperature of the anode and the whole X-ray tube assembly can be rapidly increased while the power of the X-ray tube is increased. For this purpose, corresponding cooling devices are assigned to the X-ray source of the CT system, for example to the CT bulb.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present disclosure provides, in one aspect, a cooling device configured to be mounted on a rotating portion of a CT gantry for providing heat dissipation to an X-ray source mounted on the CT gantry, the cooling device including: a base configured to be fixed to a surface on which the X-ray source is located; and the first radiating fins are vertically arranged on the base respectively, an air duct for guiding the first air flow to conduct is formed between the adjacent first radiating fins, and a first opening part which is expanded outwards is formed at least one end part between the adjacent first radiating fins so as to guide the first air flow to enter the air duct.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a CT apparatus comprising a CT gantry; the X-ray source is configured to be arranged on a rotating part of the CT frame so as to change the angle of the X-ray emitted by the X-ray source, and the cooling device is also comprised.

One advantage of the cooling device and CT apparatus provided by the present disclosure is that the cooling device is installed with the CT frame, so that the cooling device uses the airflow generated by the rotation of the CT frame during the rotation of the CT frame, and guides the airflow to dissipate the heat of the X-ray source of the CT apparatus, thereby reducing the components of the cooling device, such as the fan and the fan control, reducing the occupied space of the cooling device, reducing the extra noise generated by the high-speed operation of the fan, and improving the comfort of the patient.

Drawings

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the mounting of a cooling device to a CT gantry in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the construction of a cooling device according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 3 is a partially enlarged structural view showing a of a fin unit according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 4 is a partially enlarged structural view showing B of a fin unit according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooling device including a second heat sink according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooling device including a pod according to another exemplary embodiment.

Wherein the reference numbers are as follows:

10 Cooling device

12 base

14 radiator unit

141 first heat sink

143 second heat sink

145 first open part

15 oil pump

151 oil inlet pipe

152 oil outlet pipe

17 air guide sleeve

171 second open part

172 convergence part

173 binding mouth part

19 air flow

191 first air flow

192 second gas flow

20 CT machine frame

Detailed Description

In order to more clearly understand the technical features, objects, and effects of the present invention, embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

"exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" herein, and any illustration, embodiment, or steps described as "exemplary" herein should not be construed as a preferred or advantageous alternative.

For the sake of simplicity, the drawings only schematically show the parts relevant to the present invention, and they do not represent the actual structure as a product. In addition, in order to make the drawings concise and understandable, components having the same structure or function in some of the drawings are only schematically illustrated or only labeled.

In this document, "one" means not only "only one" but also a case of "more than one". In this document, "first", "second", and the like are used only for distinguishing one from another, and do not indicate the degree of importance and order thereof, and the premise that each other exists, and the like.

In Computed Tomography (CT) apparatus, the X-ray tube is typically assembled with a cooling system and an insulating oil circuit is provided to continuously dissipate heat generated by the X-ray tube during operation. The cooling system generally comprises: the radiator, oil pump, fan, the control unit and the oil inlet pipe, the oil outlet pipe etc. that interconnect each part. Although the CT gantry has a large size, the X-ray tube, the high voltage generator, the detector, and the like are relatively bulky when they are installed at the same time. The space left for installing the cooling system will be very limited. In addition, in order to enhance the heat dissipation capability of the cooling system, a large-sized fan is also installed near the radiator to accelerate air circulation. Generally, the cooling system dissipates heat of the X-ray tube in such a way that insulating oil bearing heat of the X-ray tube enters the radiator from the oil inlet under the action of the circulating pump, the radiator takes away the heat of the radiator through the circulation of air under the action of the fan, and the cooled insulating oil returns to the position of heat exchange with the X-ray tube again through the oil outlet pipe.

The cooling device for dissipating heat of an X-ray tube provided by the present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, and the cooling device is simplified in structure and at least reduces additional noise generated by high-speed operation of a fan by using the motion characteristics of a CT gantry on which the X-ray tube is mounted, i.e., taking into account the airflow generated by the motion of the CT gantry itself for dissipating heat.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooling device mounted to a CT gantry according to an exemplary embodiment.

As shown in fig. 1, a cooling device 10 is configured to be mounted on a rotating portion of a CT gantry 20 for providing heat dissipation to an X-ray source (not shown) mounted on the CT gantry 20, the cooling device 10 comprising: a base 12 configured to be fixed to a surface on which the X-ray source is located; and a heat sink unit 14 including a plurality of first heat sinks 141 vertically disposed on the base 12, respectively, an air duct configured to guide the first air flow 191 to be conducted is formed between adjacent first heat sinks 141, and a first open portion 145 expanded outward is formed between adjacent first heat sinks 141 at least one end portion to guide the first air flow 191 into the air duct. When the CT apparatus is in an operating state, the CT gantry 20 can rotate at a high speed in the direction C, and the generated airflow 19 is guided into the plurality of air channels formed between the first cooling fins 141 through the plurality of first opening portions 145 to provide cooling for the X-ray source by using the airflow 19.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged structural view illustrating a B of a fin unit according to an exemplary embodiment

As shown in fig. 4, the first opening portion 145 formed at the end of the adjacent first heat sink 141 and expanding outward forms a first opening for guiding the airflow 19 from the outside of the heat sink unit 14, so that the first airflow 191 can be guided into the air duct with higher efficiency, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat sink unit 14 can be improved.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view illustrating a cooling apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

According to some illustrated embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the cooling device 10 further comprises: an oil pump 15; and an oil passage, wherein the oil passage includes: an oil inlet pipe 151 configured to be connected to an inlet end of the oil pump 15 to receive cooling oil; and an oil outlet pipe 152 configured to be connected to an outlet end of the oil pump 15 and to pump out the cooling oil under the action of the oil pump 15, wherein the oil outlet pipe 152 is further configured to be in heat exchange contact with the X-ray source and the fin unit 14, respectively, so that the cooling oil bears heat generated from, for example, the operation of the CT bulb during circulation and dissipates heat uninterruptedly through the heat exchange contact of the cooling oil with the fin unit 14.

According to some illustrated embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, for greater efficiency, the airflow 19 generated by the rotation of the CT gantry 20 is in sufficient heat exchange contact with the cooling fin unit 14, a connecting line of the first opening 145 of the first open portion 145 formed at the end of the adjacent first cooling fin 141 and the air duct is arranged along a tangential direction of the C direction of the rotation of the rotating portion of the CT gantry 20. In addition, as shown in fig. 1, the base 12 is also configured to be arc-shaped to match the arc-shaped boundary of the CT gantry 20, so that a connection line formed by the first opening of the first open portion 145 and the wind tunnel can be arranged along a tangential direction of the C direction of the rotation of the rotating portion of the CT gantry 20.

Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged structural view illustrating a of a fin unit according to an exemplary embodiment.

According to some illustrated embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, in order to further increase the heat exchange area between the cooled first air flow 191 and the first heat dissipating fins 191, the first heat dissipating fins 141 of the cooling device 10 are configured in a wave shape (W shape), and the crest portion of each pair of adjacent first heat dissipating fins 141 is opposed to the bottom portion to constitute an air passage. Here, adjacent first heat dissipation fins 141 may be disposed at equal intervals. In addition, the first heat sink 141 may also be constructed in a shape of a city wall, a straight line, or the like.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a cooling device including a second heat dissipation fin according to another exemplary embodiment.

According to some illustrated embodiments, in order to direct the airflow 19 over the fin unit 14 into its wind tunnel, as shown in fig. 5, the fin unit 14 further includes: a plurality of second heat radiating fins 143 are provided to be connected to upper portions of the first heat radiating fins 141, respectively, and the second heat radiating fins 143 are configured to include diagonal portions extending in a diagonal direction and pressing portions connected thereto and parallel to the base 12, thereby forming a pressing sheet shape guiding the air flow such that adjacent second heat radiating fins can guide the second air flow 192 to enter the air passage from diagonally above. In addition, the second openings formed between the pressed portions of the adjacent second fins 145 are disposed facing the direction in which the second airflow 192 enters the air duct.

According to some illustrated embodiments, in order to lead the sufficient cooling airflow 19 to the heat sink unit 14 for heat exchange, and improve the heat dissipation efficiency and effect, as shown in fig. 6, the cooling device 10 further includes: the air guide sleeve 17 is arranged on the upper part of the radiating fin unit 14 and at least closes part of the radiating fin unit 14, and comprises: the second opening portion 171 is configured in parallel with the first opening portion 145 to guide the conduction of the second airflow 192 along the space formed between the pod 17 and the first fin 141, thereby playing a role of compressing the second airflow 192 to accelerate the introduction into the fin unit 14. The space includes an air passage formed between a plurality of adjacent first heat dissipation fins 141.

According to some illustrated embodiments, in order to enable the air current 19 for cooling to be sufficiently guided into the fin unit 14 for heat exchange, and to improve the heat dissipation efficiency and effect, as shown in fig. 6, a mouth portion 173 is provided on the air guide sleeve 17 at an end opposite to the second opening portion 171, and at least a converging portion 172 is configured between the second opening portion 171 and the mouth portion 173, so that the space conducted inside the air guide sleeve 17 after the second air current 192 enters the second opening portion 171 is gradually reduced, thereby achieving the effects of compressing the air current and accelerating the air current to flow through the air duct of the fin unit 14. Here, the pod 17 may be fixed to the fin unit 14 by being mounted on the pressing portion of the partial second fin 143, for example, the collar portion 173 of the pod 17 is mounted on the pressing portion of the partial second fin 143. In addition, the second open portion 171 may be configured as a wide opening, and the second air flow 192 is introduced from the outside to the fin unit 14 with greater efficiency by further compressing a larger intake air amount.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a CT apparatus including: a CT gantry; the X-ray source is configured to be arranged on a rotating part of the CT frame so as to change the angle of the emergent X-rays in rotation, and the cooling device is also provided.

The foregoing is merely a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and it should be noted that modifications and embellishments could be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle of the present disclosure, and these should also be considered as the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A cooling apparatus (10) configured to be mounted to a rotating portion of a CT gantry (20) for providing heat dissipation to an X-ray source mounted on the CT gantry (20), comprising:

a base (12) configured to be fixed to a surface on which the X-ray source is located; and

the radiating fin unit (14) comprises a plurality of first radiating fins (141) which are vertically arranged on the base (12), an air channel for guiding the first air flow (191) to conduct is formed between the adjacent first radiating fins (141), and a first opening part (145) which is expanded outwards is formed between the adjacent first radiating fins at least one end part to guide the first air flow (191) to enter the air channel.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a line formed by the first opening of the first opening portion (145) and the air duct is arranged along a tangential direction of rotation of the rotating portion of the CT gantry (20).

3. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the base (12) is further configured to be arcuate to match an arcuate edge of a CT gantry (20).

4. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the first heat radiating fins (141) are configured in a wave shape, and a crest portion and a trough portion of each pair of adjacent first heat radiating fins (141) are opposed to each other to constitute the air passage.

5. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein adjacent first cooling fins (141) are arranged equidistantly.

6. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the fin unit (14) further includes: a plurality of second heat radiating fins (143) disposed to be connected to upper portions of the first heat radiating fins (141), respectively, and the second heat radiating fins (143) are configured to include an inclined portion extending in an inclined direction and a pressing piece portion parallel to the base, so that the adjacent second heat radiating fins can guide a second air flow (192) into the air duct from an obliquely upper direction.

7. The cooling device according to claim 6, wherein adjacent second fins (143) are arranged equidistantly.

8. The cooling device according to claim 6, wherein second openings formed between the pressed portions of the adjacent second fins (143) are arranged facing a direction in which the second air flow (192) enters the air passage.

9. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a pod (17) provided on an upper portion of the fin unit (14) and closing at least a portion of the fin unit (14), comprising: a second open portion (171) configured in parallel with the first open portion (145) to direct a second airflow (192) to be conducted along a space formed between the pod (17) and the first heat sink (141).

10. A cooling device according to claim 9, wherein the air guide sleeve (17) is provided with a mouth portion (173) at the opposite end of the second opening portion (171), and at least a converging portion (172) is configured along the second opening portion (171) and the mouth portion (173), so that the space conducted inside the air guide sleeve (17) after the second air flow enters the second opening portion (171) is gradually reduced.

11. The cooling apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: and a guide cover (17) configured to be fixed to the heat sink unit (14) by being mounted on a pressing piece portion of a part of the second heat sink (143) for guiding a second air flow (192) from the outside to be conducted along a space formed between the guide cover (17) and the first heat sink (141).

12. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an oil pump (15); and an oil passage, wherein the oil passage includes: an oil inlet pipe (151) configured to be connected to an inlet end of the oil pump (15) to receive cooling oil; and an oil outlet pipe (152) configured to be connected to an outlet end of an oil pump (15) and to pump out the cooling oil under the action of the oil pump, wherein the oil outlet pipe (152) is further configured to be in heat exchange contact with the X-ray source and the fin unit (14), respectively.

13. A CT apparatus, comprising: a CT gantry; an X-ray source configured to be mounted to a rotating portion of a CT gantry to change an angle at which the X-ray source emits X-rays, further comprising a cooling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.